


I’ve Got You On My Mind

by Erevae



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Amnesia, F/F, Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-08-27 02:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16693594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erevae/pseuds/Erevae
Summary: Asami wakes up on what seems like a normal day, only something feels very off. She’s missing something very important.





	1. Awakenings

Asami blinked awake, her peridot eyes heavy and gritty from sleep. A soft groan escaped soft lips as she stretched her muscles out, shifting in the bedsheets. That was the first inkling that something was odd, her bed was cold, despite the warm weather and the early morning sun drifting through the gaps in her curtains. She frowned softly, mind still thick and muddled and half unconscious.

 

She was missing something, something very important but she couldn’t remember what it was yet. It was like there was a thick fog clouding her thoughts. Perhaps coffee could solve such problems.

 

Turning to the side revealed it was 7:30 in the morning, spot on her normal waking time. Asami shrugged inwardly and sat up in her bed, once again finding herself searching the room for... something. Everything appeared to be in its place.

 

She shook her head. Whatever was bothering her would become clear soon enough, it always did. A quick shower later and she was smoothing the creases on a blouse she had picked out from her rather empty wardrobe. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her there should be more clothes there but she couldn’t pinpoint why.

 

No matter.

 

Asami made her way out of her room and through the hallway of the east wing of the Sato Estate. She breezed down the main staircase and instinctively turned towards the back doorway to the gardens, arm outstretched. That weird feeling befell her once again, as though something was missing. Asami didn’t know why she had just done that but it felt like she was supposed to, only she couldn’t pinpoint why.

 

Feeling even more uneasy than before at the continued reoccurrence of this, she hastened her way into the kitchen where breakfast had been prepared for by the staff, eager to get on with her day in hopes she would escape this odd morning. The morning paper sat by her plate. She flipped it open and began browsing through the news while she ate.

 

Idly, she brought a mug of coffee to her lips and sipped it whole her eyes scanned various articles. Seems Republic City hadn’t changed much. Amon still gathering more support from non-benders and the continued excitement of the latest season of pro-bending. The highlight of the latter article was all about one of the up and coming unexpected stars, the Fire... Ferrets...

 

_‘But the Fire Ferrets made it to the final.... and Amon was...’_

 

That news felt familiar and... old? That couldn’t be right, the estate staff collected the daily paper every morning for both Sato’s to browse over their morning meal.

 

Asami closed the paper to check the date on the front. The wrongness she had been feeling all morning surged. This couldn’t be right. This date was for six years ago!

 

_‘Hold on, six years? Why can’t I-?’_

 

The feeling of missing something rose like a wave in her mind, crashing through her thoughts. Something snapped inside Asami. In a flood it came to her, and she wondered how she’d missed it. She knew what was missing. Korra was gone. Korra was gone!

 

Her food was abandoned as she shot to her feet and raced out into the foyer. Korra’s boots were gone. Her heavier winter jacket wasn’t hanging by the door. Naga’s pillow was gone from the back door.

 

That’s what she had been missing when she came down the stairs. Naga usually heard her coming and was waiting for her by the time Asami got to the bottom. But Naga wasn’t there.

 

Panic and desperation started to fill her. It was like her girlfriend had never lived with her at all.

 

She ran up to their room and looked around. The panic increased within her breast, squeezing her heart like a vice. Their room was devoid of Korra.

 

This has to be some horrible nightmare.

 

“Korra?!” She shouted, voice bouncing off high ceilings.

 

Her breathing started to get erratic. The Water Tribe girl could have been in the gym or the pool except none of her clothes were here.

 

Before her mind completely shut down, she forcibly got a hold of herself.

 

_‘Calm down Sato. You won’t be able to get to the bottom of this if you let panic overwhelm you.’_

 

Asami slowed her breathing and took a mental step back. She needed Korra. Korra wasn’t here. Where was Korra likely to be?

 

Air Temple Island.

 

Asami headed straight for the garage and grabbed the closest satomobile she could.

  

* * *

 

The city felt far more familiar to her than her own home, though she now guessed that was due to a distinct lack of her Avatar girlfriend. Countless questions plagued her mind but she forced them away for now. She couldn’t afford to let herself think herself in circles and spiral into panicking again. Not until she had Korra in her arms.

 

The small ferry docked with the long pier and Asami didn’t even wait for it to come to a complete stop before she was over the side and almost running to the island.

 

She took the steps two, three, at a time, fuelled by a nervous, panicked energy that refused to leave her muscles. Her peridot eyes shot around the island almost frantically, searching for any sign of Korra.

 

A group of Air Acolytes were coming towards her and Asami turned to face them, spying Tenzin at their head in the middle of one of his lectures. They hadn’t noticed her yet.

 

“Master Tenzin!” She called out, hurriedly walking over to him. He turned to her quickly, and her expert eyes could tell he was shocked to see her. His normal composure was completely missing and his wide brown eyes were so filled with surprise and then disbelief that she felt a new kind of worry grow inside her chest.

 

He managed to recover enough to get words out, “Miss Sato! To what do I owe the pl-.”

 

Unfortunately for him, Asami’s heart couldn’t take much more of the not knowing. “Where’s Korra? Is she here? I couldn’t find her at home and it’s like she was never there. My head feels all thick and my memory isn’t...” she trailed off, letting a sight of exasperation and desperation out, “Please Tenzin, I just, really need Korra, do you know where she is?”

 

Tenzin drew into himself somewhat, pulling a mask up and standing taller before wordlessly directing her in the direction of one of the airbending training areas. Asami smiled quickly and thanked him as she walked away.

 

Her solid boot heels rang on the tiled path. She could hear shouts of encouragement coming from her destination, and the muted roar of wind. A heavy breath of relief escaped her as she came around the corner and stopped, spotting Korra, in a one-armed handstand in the middle of a small vortex that Jinora was bending.

 

From the looks of it, it was a kind of balance and control exercise. She stopped noticing anything else, eyes locked on Korra.

 

Her girlfriend’s hair was dangling from her head. Strong shoulders and back faces her, all muscles making small corrections for her balance. Her normal tribal getup hugged her body perfectly and had her relief not done so, the sight of the Avatar would have taken her breath away.

 

“Korra...” The name slipped out, inaudible to the girl in the vortex, but not to the four pairs of eyes that all turned to her in shock and surprise. The twisting air around the Avatar faded as Jinora lost her concentration.

 

“Awww come on Jinora! That was my best time yet!” Came the indignant cry, Korra dropping from her position to right herself and turn around to confront the young Airbending Master. Her brow creased in confusion as she found all four airbenders looking further up the path and Asami just found the look so adorable.

 

She started walking again, her steps slow, careful, but utterly determined. She didn’t know why Korra was gone from her life, she didn’t know why she couldn’t remember why. She didn’t know why her mind was so muddled up and she didn’t know why her heart was suddenly beating so hard. It felt like when Korra had returned to Republic City after three years.

 

Cerulean eyes met hers and the pain that filled them killed Asami’s heart. There wasn’t supposed to be any pain. There wasn’t supposed to be tears. What happened?

 

“Korra..?” Her voice was hesitant and careful, with a tone of desperation tinting it.

 

Tears were now streaming down Korra’s cheeks as she physically staggered back, as though Asami saying her name had physically hit her.

 

Seconds stretched into eternity as she got closer and closer, the whole world fading away until it was just the two of them.

 

“A-Asami?”

 

It carried so much pain with it, loss and loneliness and _hope_. There was a desperate element of hope in the way Korra said her name and spurred Asami forward.

 

She didn’t care what was the right or wrong or proper thing to do in the moment. She just wanted Korra in her arms and the hope she heard gave her the green light.

 

Breaking into a run, she closed the distance between them in a second and threw her arms around the shorter woman, crying out her name once again. The way Korra held her back was almost like she was made of glass, as if if she held too tightly then Asami would shatter and disappear.

 

“Asami?”

 

She pulled the girl tighter to her chest, both of them collapsing to their knees and sobbing. They weren’t aware of Ikki’s building excitement, or of Jinora’s efforts in herding her siblings away to give them privacy.

 

“Korra! Where were you? What happened? I woke up and you weren’t in bed and then you weren’t anywhere at home. It’s like you were never there and I can’t remember why and I’m really failing at not panicking right now.”

 

Asami pulled back enough to look Korra in the eyes as she spoke, doing her absolute best to control her breathing so she got everything out smoothly. Korra’s eyes had lost a lot of the pain and were a mix of confused and hopeful.

 

“But how..? You don’t... I... Asami!”

 

The stuttered words and exclamation brought even more questions and worries to her mind, though they were stopped dead by the next thing her girlfriend said.

 

“You remember me?”

 

Her mind stuttered and coughed before it started moving again, running over those three words.

 

“Of course I remember you Korra! Why wouldn’t I? You’re the most important person in the world to me.”

 

A whimper escaped the darker skinned girl at those words, almost curling in on herself.

 

“You’re the most important person in the world to me too.” She whispered back, furiously blinking tears from her eyes and calming her breathing.

 

Asami’s eyes filled with questions and confusions and Korra quickly shook her head as though to clear it, voice hoarse and strained, “Come on, I’ll explain everything over some tea.”

 

Strong arms gripped her shoulders and helped pull her to her feet, one hand reaching for hers and entwining their fingers, refusing to let go.

 

With that, Korra led her inside.

 


	2. Memories pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra starts telling Asami about her difficulties with memory while Asami struggles with her emotions and new hurdles.

The thick fog that hung over her mind refused to abate even as Korra led her inside. Asami just couldn’t break through the dark clouds that caged her thoughts in; hiding her memories from her. Tears were still glistening on her cheeks but thankfully they had stopped leaking from her eyes. She was sure she was a right sight indeed; mascara running, and makeup ruined. Still, such things were far from her mind as Korra brought her into a small room that looked like a common dining area.

 

Why did Korra say that Asami couldn’t remember her? Why couldn’t she remember anything about why this was happening? Why did-?

 

“I’ll… go get us some tea.”

 

Asami’s gaze snapped to Korra’s, peridot eyes locking onto cerulean ones. They were still filled with tears, puffy and bloodshot, although the desperate light of disbelief had left them. Now, only sorrow and hope inhabited them, an unseen battle between the two for dominance. She found herself nodding at her girlfriend’s words, still struggling to get a grasp on the moment, to ground herself.

 

“Okay, I’ll just, wait here?”

 

The question was polite and hid her feelings. Her heart was screaming at her to not let Korra out of her sight. To hold on and not let go. Suddenly, she was very afraid that if Korra left, she wouldn’t come back. It was irrational, part of her knew, but that part was being smothered by confusion, anxiety and fear.

 

_‘Korra, please don’t leave me alone. Not even for a second…’_

 

These feelings mounted as Korra nodded, turning her back to Asami and moving for the kitchen. They were both somewhat surprised when Korra jerked to a halt, frowning before looking at her arm and finding their fingers still entwined.

 

The stunned expression on her girlfriend’s face would have amused Asami were it not for the circumstances, though the corners of her lips did twitch at the expression.

 

“How about we both get the tea.”

 

It was a statement, not a question, and the way Korra’s fingers tightened around her own told Asami that she was right in making it so. She stepped forward to stand side by side with the Avatar, their hands molding together. Korra gave her a weak smile and gently tugged her forward. Relief washed through Asami, blossoming in her chest and radiating outwards, briefly drowning out all the doubt and uncertainty.

 

* * *

 

The tea sat steaming in a cup in her hands. Asami watched the tendrils of grey twist through the air before vanishing; fleeting. Darkly, she thought how accurate that was for her memory. She kept losing gaps of it, and at an infuriatingly inconsistent pace. First, it was when watching Korra prepare tea that she had forgotten how she had gotten to Air Temple Island. Now she was sitting next to Korra being told that she had forgotten how she got to the island because she had forgotten the entire process of making tea.

 

It was… terrifying. She was trying not to think about it.

 

The darker skinned girl gave her shoulder a light touch, bringing her back to the present.

 

“Hey, still here? Know where we are?”

 

_‘I’m scared, Korra.’_

 

Asami wordlessly nodded in response, trying to force words out of her mouth and finding them catching in her throat. It must have shown on her face because Korra instantly had a hand on her shoulder and was rubbing comforting circles with her thumb.

 

“It’s alright Asami, this happened before. When you got too stressed you would kind of… space out. Forget things.”

 

That little piece of information was not helping her stress levels, though she fought to keep them down. She would not forget anything else, Spirits help her.

 

She brought the tea to her lips and took a mouthful, the hot liquid settling into her stomach and loosening the tight ball of emotion that sat there. She could understand why Korra had insisted on tea.

 

Asami looked over at Korra again, studying the lines in her face. Lines of grief and endless nights of tears. They hurt Asami’s heart to see, and she wanted nothing more than to smooth them away and replace the sorrow with the smile that she loved. Unfortunately, she needed to know things first.

 

“You know, I still think we should take you to the hospital.”

 

_‘The hospital? But the hospital wasn’t even mention-.’_

 

She growled internally at herself. Yet another thing she must have forgotten from the time they came into the building to now.

 

“Please Korra, I just, I just want you right now.” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes and the raven-haired girl blinked furiously to keep them at bay. The last thing she needed was to get emotional again and set herself back further. “I’m so confused and lost. What happened? Why can’t I remember things? Why couldn’t I remember you? I need to know.”

 

Korra was quick to scoot closer, her shoulder pressing against Asami’s, and the girl found herself subconsciously leaning into the contact.

 

“Hey, shhhh, don’t worry I’ll explain everything. Let me start from the beginning.”

 

* * *

 

_Korra felt her muscles burn pleasantly as she pulled her chin up to the bar, holding the position for a fraction of a second before slowly lowering herself and repeating the process. Keeping in shape had always been important for the Avatar, though this exercise wasn’t being done for that reason. No, Korra was pulling herself up to the bar for the twentieth time because Asami thought she looked sexy and she was determined not to disappoint her girlfriend._

 

_Her thoughts drifted to the older woman, a smile leaping unbidden to her lips. Asami was probably still holed up in her office working away on her next idea to save the world. Honestly, if Korra didn’t keep crashing in during her lunch breaks and forcing her to eat, the woman would completely forget._

 

_Well, Korra couldn’t say_ completely _. Asami had gotten much better at remembering to take care of herself over the past six years. Nowadays Korra only needed to remind her girlfriend once a fortnight to eat, and that was only when Asami’s secretary called the Avatar directly. Unfortunately, Korra was still the only person Asami actually listened to when it came to being told to eat._

 

_S_ _he finished the chin-up and gently let herself drop to the floor, bare feet padding quietly on the mats as she walked to grab her water bottle. Dimly, she registered the phone ringing in the background. It was likely Asami, calling to let Korra know she’d be home late. Asami always called home. She considered walking out to the foyer to answer when she heard the phone get picked up and a man’s voice._

 

‘Dang, looks like Lee beat me to it.’

 

_After downing around half the bottle, Korra grabbed a towel and started wiping the sweat from her face, walking to the door so Lee could inform her of Asami’s plans. This is how it usually went. However, just before she could reach out for the door handle, it opened. She had to jump back             slightly to avoid being hit by the person hurriedly opening it._

 

_Her brow furrowed as Lee came in, looking ruffled._

 

_“Lee, is everything alright? Asami going to be late again?”_

 

_Lee shook his head, a little too quickly. Something was wrong._

 

_“I’m sorry, Ms Korra, that was the Chief Beifong.” He swallowed hard. “There’s been an accident at the factory, Ms Sato is in hospital.”_

 

_The words pierced through Korra, though it didn’t feel like it. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, though her heart felt like it had stopped. Then the dull sense of panic rose in her chest as adrenaline flooded through her._

 

_Lee’s words fell on deaf ears as Korra tore out of the gym, snatching her glider from by the door and almost breaking the hinges on her way out. Naga’s concerned whine followed her out into the late afternoon as the wind carried her swiftly away from the Sato Estate._

 

* * *

 

“I don’t remember an accident.”

 

Asami’s voice was quiet, and she wasn’t even sure if she’d said that out loud. Korra leaned against her comfortingly.

 

“You wouldn’t. It happened so fast. The doctor’s said you didn’t even have time to process what happened before you were unconscious.”

 

Asami frowned, her emotions still an uncertain, roiling mess in her gut. She had to know if anyone else had been hurt. If anyone had… died.

 

“Did anyone else..?”

 

_‘Please say no. Please tell me no one else got hurt.’_

 

She trailed off, her throat constricting as she tried her hardest not to think of what their deaths would have been like. The lump in her throat grew as Korra nodded.

 

“Yes, two others, but don’t worry ‘Sami, they made full recoveries.”

 

A shaky breath left her lungs, relief loosening the noose she had felt closing around her neck. Asami shifted on the couch they were on, turning to face Korra more. Her hand sought out her partner, and Korra happily took it into her own, a soft smile on her lips. Her girlfriend’s eyes were full of so much love in that moment that Asami felt her breath catch, for all the right reasons. It would be so easy to just, lean over and-,

 

_‘No, I still don’t know what happened. What if I did something to hurt her?’_

 

The tears from Korra’s eyes leapt into her mind again. The logical part of her mind had worked out that the accident must have given her amnesia, and that Korra was simply happy to see her again. The illogical part worried, agonised over what it didn’t know, what it couldn’t remember.

 

Korra must have taken her silence as a cue to continue, and Asami let herself sink into that voice she had missed.

 

* * *

 

_Korra blew through the lobby of the hospital like a hurricane. Marching straight to the receptionist and demanding to know where Asami was. Before the man could even get a word out, a hand was_ _taking her shoulder and pulling her away. Cerulean eyes darkened to the colour of a stormy sea, ready to unleash it’s fury on whomever kept her from finding Asami._

 

_“Korra.” It took her a moment to register Mako was talking to her, leading her through the hospital. “I’m sorry Korra, we contacted you as soon as we could. Asami’s in surgery, don’t worry, she’s going to be okay.”_

 

_“Where is she?!”_

 

_The words were harsher than she intended them, sharpened by the tension building in her chest. Mako took it in stride as he kept leading her through white halls._

 

_“Don’t worry, I’m taking you to her.”_

 

_It all felt like a dream, like it wasn’t really happening, only she was hyper aware of everything. The smell of disinfectant, the bright lights, the stark white floor._

 

_Mako brought her up to a large set of double doors. They were for an operating room, and Korra made straight for them. This time someone else blocked her path._

 

_"Spirits damn you, let me through!"_

 

_“You can’t go in there, kid.”_

 

_Chief Beifong had a firm grip on her shoulders and an unyielding stance. The police chief's armor was covered in dust and small tears. The sight only served to worsen the tension Korra felt. What happened at the factory, to Asami, that even responding officers bore the marks._

 

_“Let me through, Lin!”_

 

‘I have to make sure she’s okay, I have to.’

 

_The desperation started building in her chest. She was the Avatar, she was supposed to protect people, especially those she loved. Now here she was, in a hospital with no idea what was going on with the woman she loved most in the world. The adrenaline was saving her from a break down, from succumbing to the tears of frustration building behind her eyes._

 

_“I’m sorry, Korra. She’s in the hands of the best doctors and healers in the hospital.”_

 

_The words did nothing to comfort her as she continued futilely struggling against Lin. One final push and Korra backed off, heavy scowl on her face as she moved to pace in front of the operating room. If she wasn’t allowed in, then she was damn sure not going to go anywhere until Asami came out. She took deep breaths, trying to slow her heartbeat from the race it was running. Just a few hours, she just had to hold it together for a few hours and then Asami would be fine and she could take her into her arms and never let anything hurt her again._

 

‘You better come out, Asami. I need you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I went over it a few times but I don't have a beta to help me catch any errors that slip by me so I'm sorry if I miss anything. 
> 
> Please, any and all criticism is appreciated. The idea for this fic was fuelled by my 1:30am brain so I'm doing my best to hash it out and make sense of my half asleep ideas. I do hope I am portraying the characters and how they feel well. I've never written for Legend of Korra before so let me know if my characterisation is off, and how you think I could improve. I'd like to hear your thoughts.


End file.
